Bible Strands
Judges 9:23
God sent a spirit of animosity between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem and caused them to treat Abimelech deceitfully,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes a moment after Abimelech’s three-year reign when divine intervention disrupts his alliance with the Shechemite leaders.
The words — The Hebrew text uses וַיִּשְׁלַח (va/yishlach, "and he sent") with רוח רעה (ruach ra'ah, "evil spirit") to state that God placed hostility between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem.
The thread — This pattern of God sending a spirit of division to execute judgment appears in Isaiah 19:14 and Isaiah 19:2, where the Lord incites confusion and civil strife among the Egyptians.
Why it lands — The text records that this division occurred so the murder of Jerubbaal’s seventy sons would be avenged on Abimelech and the Shechem leaders.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
Cross-references
- Isaiah 33:1 Woe to you, O destroyer never destroyed, O traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished betraying, you will be betrayed.
- Isaiah 19:14 The LORD has poured into her a spirit of confusion. Egypt has been led astray in all she does, as a drunkard staggers through his own vomit.
- Isaiah 19:2 “So I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian; brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:11 For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie,
- Judges 9:15 But the thornbush replied, ‘If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’
- Judges 9:20 But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.”
- 1 Samuel 16:14 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a spirit of distress from the LORD began to torment him.
- 1 Samuel 18:9 And from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
- 1 Kings 12:15 So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
- 1 Kings 22:22 And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’